Prove It
by arboramor
Summary: Johanna had a bit of a crush on a certain Katniss Everdeen, but there was no way she was ever admitting that. Not to herself, and certainly not to anyone else. (High School AU)
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So it's been a while I posted anything on here! This was a spontaneous one-shot I wrote and put on Tumblr, but then I decided to continue it. If it seems a bit disjointed, I apologise - I'm not good at planning stories, and I find they tend to have a mind of their own anyway. I should stop rambling now. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Johanna had a bit of a crush on a certain Katniss Everdeen, but there was no way she was ever admitting that. Not to herself, and certainly not to anyone else. She had her image to maintain. Nobody would take her as seriously if they found out she had this significant chink in her armour. That was how she saw it, really. Having never grown fond of the concept of romance, to her, love was simply weakness. Dependence of any sort was weakness. Johanna Mason stood alone on her own two feet and that was exactly how she liked it.

However, this girl in the year below her was making her doubt her philosophies. She had no idea why she felt compelled to do a double-take every time they passed each other in a corridor. For someone who liked being unquestionably in control of herself and her life, this was out of Johanna's comfort zone, and it annoyed her. It annoyed her to the extent that she began to blame Katniss for her confusions, for her previously nonexistent internal debates.

That was why she had just shoved the girl when she'd been walking past in the corridor. "Watch where you're going, brainless," she snapped, though she was fully aware that the collision had been entirely due to her.

To Johanna's distaste, Katniss had the nerve to meet her gaze, indignant. "You should try listening to your own advice," she replied hotly as she readjusted her braid.

Johanna quirked an eyebrow, as if to double-check that Katniss didn't regret saying that. "I could make your life hell if I wanted to," she said, but still the younger girl seemed unfazed.

"Look, I'm not trying to get on your nerves, I was just pointing out that, actually, you walked into me."

"Do I look like I care?" It was too late once she realised that had been a stupid thing to say.

Now it was Katniss raising an eyebrow. "Well," she said, as Johanna stood there fuming, "I have to say that you do."

Johanna could feel herself getting tenser and knew this was likely only going to go downhill. "Just watch yourself," she snarled quietly. "I'm not someone you want to get on the wrong side of, trust me." Then, trying to maintain some sense of superiority, she strode past Katniss without another word and with her chin raised.

But as soon as she rounded the corner, she couldn't stop herself from peeking back into the corridor and watching Katniss as she walked away with those curiously light steps of hers. Every one of her movements seemed calculated and it stood out to Johanna, who was generally more fond of spontaneity. There was something so graceful about Katniss…

She clenched her jaw when she realised she was slipping back to the wrong side of the love-hate spectrum. She didn't like Katniss, she told herself. Katniss was no different to any other annoying person in the year below, and she should be treated as such. If only Johanna _could_ listen to her own advice.

* * *

She didn't know whether she was seeing Katniss more frequently around school, or whether she'd just become more acute at noticing her from a distance, at picking out her face in a bustling crowd. Whatever it was, she wasn't happy. It was hard to set about avoiding someone when you had no idea what classes they took, or how their timetable was arranged. Sometimes it felt like Katniss was purposefully trying to get in her way just to spite her. Johanna knew it was highly unlikely - the younger girl had probably already forgotten all about their conversation - but ever since, she'd felt a need to beat this girl. To prove herself to be better. To show her dominance. It was why she couldn't stand the slightest possibility that Katniss might be toying with her.

She hated what this whole affair was doing to her. Almost constantly, Johanna would be stressing over Katniss for one reason or another. She'd never been like this before. A part of her was almost scared. How long could she take it before she snapped?

Once, Johanna caught sight of Katniss on the school's running track, doing laps whilst everyone else was going home. She watched her from afar, waiting for her to stop and catch her breath, but she never did. She just kept going, and Johanna couldn't deny her admiration. She started wondering who would win a 100m sprint, her or Katniss. Perhaps this was her chance to best her.

Unable to resist the opportunity, she strolled onto the track and chucked her bag to the side. The noise of it hitting the netted fencing got Katniss' attention. She stopped running and stood there, hands on her hips, and questioned, "What have I done to offend you this time?"

"Your running technique, for a start," replied Johanna and she casually began to stretch.

"You run?" Katniss asked.

"I do. And better than you, brainless."

Katniss laughed a little. "Are you always so competitive?"

"Nothing wrong with having confidence in your abilities," Johanna stated evenly.

"Right," said Katniss, sounding doubtful. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're here to challenge me to something. Probably a race."

Johanna wasn't sure she liked the fact she'd just been read so easily, but she hid any sign of discomfort. "Well, now you've inspired me to," she said, loosening her shoulders. "First to the opposite fence?"

Katniss rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly as well. "All right, Mason, you're on."

"How do you know my -?" Johanna began to ask, but Katniss had already taken off. Johanna cursed to herself before sprinting to catch up. She considered herself quite athletic, but clearly Katniss was in good shape too. Part of her wanted to call for a proper start but the majority of her didn't want to give Katniss the satisfaction. Instead, she focused on propelling herself forwards, and breathing in time with her movements. Soon enough she had drawn level with Katniss. She hoped the younger girl would already be worn down from her laps, and she pushed herself a little harder, a hundred percent determined to win.

But as she accelerated, Katniss somehow kept keeping up with her pace. Johanna found herself unable to go any faster. Her leg muscles were burning so much she had to slow down a little. Katniss overtook her in the last few metres, and slammed the fencing with her hand to signal her victory.

"Headstart," Johanna gasped accusingly as she regained her breath.

"Excuse," Katniss retorted in the same tone of voice.

"Legitimate," Johanna continued, before realising how immature this conversation was.

"For all your confidence," said Katniss, leaning against the fence and breathing heavily, "I have to wonder - what actually are you good at?"

Johanna glared. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Everdeen."

"So you _do_ know my name," Katniss mused. "Any reason for that?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Johanna responded with a shrug.

"Come on," Katniss said, "Everyone knows who you are - Johanna Mason, the self-assured badass of the school who hates everyone and everything for no clear reason."

"You're hardly a ray of sunshine yourself," Johanna pointed out.

"You barely know me," Katniss said back. "But I suppose that's true."

Johanna smirked. "People suck, so why bother playing nice?"

Katniss hummed quietly in agreement. Then she tilted her head to the side a little. "You clearly think very highly of yourself, though."

"And I have perfect reason to," replied Johanna.

"All right, then," Katniss said, getting up from leaning on the fence, "Prove it. Prove to me you're any better than I am."

Johanna eyed Katniss cautiously as she wondered how to respond to that. She wanted to wipe that confidently amused smirk off the girl's face, but then she decided that, actually, she would do exactly that.

She threw her body against Katniss', pinning her against the fence, and crashing their lips together.

She could tell from the way Katniss tensed up that she had never seen this coming, and that gave Johanna a much needed sense of satisfaction. Neither, however, was the younger girl making any attempt to push her away. That was good - it meant Johanna didn't have to waste her hands on pinning Katniss' arms down, and could instead grab her waist and pull herself closer.

Finally, Johanna Mason was back on top, and it had never felt better.

When she finally stepped back, Katniss was looking noticeably less sure of herself then she had been before.

"I -"

"Don't even bother trying to tell me you didn't enjoy that," Johanna interrupted.

Katniss blinked, her cheeks reddening. "No, I - I was going to say that I stand corrected."

"Oh really?" Johanna asked with a lopsided smirk, revelling in the fact she now had the upper hand.

"Well," Katniss murmured, "I suppose you could… give me a bit more experience to judge from."

Johanna didn't need to be asked twice.


	2. Chapter 2

Johanna was mad at herself for the events that had unfolded on the running track. Although surprising Katniss with a kiss had seemed like a fun idea at the time, in retrospect, she really wished that she had resisted the temptation. If Johanna hadn't been constantly thinking about Katniss before the kiss, she definitely was now, and it was doing her head in. Her mind was a flurry of conflicting emotions. There was hatred, but also desire; fear, but also anticipation. She was normally so sure of herself, but now she couldn't make sense of her own thoughts.

She avoided Katniss for the rest of the week – to the best of her ability, anyway. Their school wasn't that large so it was inevitable they'd glimpse each other in the corridors every now and then. She made a point of avoiding the running track, though, and when they did end up passing each other indoors, she made sure never to meet the younger girl's eye.

_If I keep ignoring her_, Johanna thought, _maybe she'll quit being such a regular visitor in my head._

But it didn't take long for her to realise that purposefully trying to forget about someone required you to think about them just as much, if not more.

Her friend Finnick quickly saw that something unusual was up with the brunette. They'd been friends for a few years now, the sort of friends that constantly got on each other's nerves but were there for each other when needed. Finnick came across as being as arrogant as Johanna, but unlike her, he was popular. He had a way with words, and he could win people over with just a smile. Johanna was nowhere near as likeable, and she had no desire to be.

"What's been up with you lately?" he questioned as they were sat at a table, having lunch a week or so after the running track incident. "You always have this distant look on your face. Not to mention your recent comebacks have been pretty awful."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "When it comes to you and your ramblings, I think it's perfectly allowed for me to look a little bored," she drawled, determined not to let Finnick continue thinking that something was bothering her.

He wasn't so easily deterred. "Something's on your mind. And I am going to find out what."

"Oh really?" she questioned.

"Don't doubt it."

"Well then," Johanna said, "I'll give you a little hint – it doesn't exist."

With that she got up and left the table, leaving her tray behind and not looking back. Finnick chuckled to himself. "Don't think you can hide anything from me, Johanna!" he called out.

The exclamation must have got Katniss' attention, because Johanna had barely made her way out of the dining hall when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned and found herself face to face with the last person she wanted to be alone in a corridor with right now. Practically everyone was having lunch. The place was empty, save for them.

"What?" Johanna demanded, ensuring she made her impatience apparent.

But Katniss was as irritatingly immune to Johanna's harshness as ever. "We haven't talked since last Friday," she said simply. "I'd even go so far as to suggest that you've been avoiding me?"

Johanna shrugged. "Well, I mean, we're in different years. There aren't that many opportunities for us to talk."

"There are if you try."

"Yeah, so why are you trying to talk to me, exactly?"

Katniss frowned a little. "Well, after the events of last week, I thought that would have been pretty straightforward to figure out." She sounded a little unsure of herself.

Johanna shook her head, sensing a potential weakness. "No, not really," she said casually. "Care to enlighten me?"

She noticed Katniss swallow. "I – y – you know." The sight of the girl stuttering made Johanna smile a little wider.

"No, I don't, hence I asked you to tell me," Johanna stated with a smirk.

Katniss glared at her. "The _kiss_," she said irritably, hissing the word.

"Oh that?" Johanna said, feigning surprise. "That was just me proving to you that I was good at something, brainless." She cocked her head. "What – did you think it actually _meant_ something?"

The younger girl was blushing now, and a part of Johanna felt a little guilty, but the rest of her was enjoying this.

"Don't tell me you've got a crush on me," she said disdainfully.

"I do not have a _crush_ on you," Katniss huffed. "In fact, I find that I'm really not all that fond of you."

"The feeling's mutual," replied Johanna.

"All right then," Katniss said. "I guess we can agree to hate each other then."

"Sounds good to me."

"And ignore each other."

"Sure thing."

"But don't pretend that you didn't enjoy the kiss."

Johanna consciously narrowed her eyes to prevent Katniss from seeing any giveaway flickers of emotion in them. "All right, I won't," she said. "I admit - I enjoyed the kiss. But not as much as you clearly did; so much that you came chasing after me."

"Honestly, I don't know why I bothered," Katniss growled.

"Neither. Next time, save yourself the embarrassment."

"Oh for God's sake!" Katniss cried, having finally had enough of Johanna's antics. "Can you stop pretending like you're so above this? You practically leapt at the chance when I said that you could kiss me again, and I bet you'd probably do the same if I said it now!"

"_Are_ you saying it now?" Johanna asked mockingly.

"I don't know. Perhaps I would be if you didn't insist on acting like a jerk."

"If this is your weird way of flirting-"

"All right, fine!" Katniss snapped. "I'm done with this. You win."

She stormed off even more dramatically than Johanna had with Finnick earlier, and the older girl caught herself wondering whether the two of them were more similar than either of them wanted to admit. They were both argumentative, stubborn…

As Johanna watched her turn the corner and disappear, she wished that she had the nerve to have handled that conversation a little better. It would have been easy to have just admitted that the kiss _had_ actually meant something. The problem was that, before she could admit to anyone else, she was going to have to admit it to herself.

And that, if she could help it, wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"Pull yourself together, Johanna," she muttered to herself. But it didn't stop her from spending the rest of the day mulling over the fact that Katniss had seemed, well, _interested_ in her. And neither did it stop her heart from skipping a little at the prospect.


	3. Chapter 3

Johanna and Katniss exchanged glares at each other whenever they saw each other. Johanna's were mocking – "I bet you still wish you could have me!" – and Katniss' were an indignant reply – "Ha, like you don't feel the same way about me!" It was like a game, almost. A silent contest where neither wanted to give in to the other, to admit that, yes, they did want her. The wordlessly agreed terms seemed to be that whoever was the first to speak to the other would lose. They were both stubborn and proud enough to have dragged the dispute out over a couple of weeks now.

It was almost ironic, because nothing screamed "I like you" quite like a vehement refusal to admit it.

Johanna had managed to miss that fact because she was actually finding the game a lot of fun. Silently getting on Katniss' nerves was becoming one of her favourite pastimes, whether it was through purposefully bumping into her in the corridors or just smirking at her whenever she got the chance.

She was also determined to be the winner.

That was why, when she spotted Katniss getting the books out of her locker one day in a room that was otherwise empty, Johanna decided to stride right up to her and tap her on the shoulder. She was hoping she'd surprise Katniss into speaking before she could turn around and see who it was - but she didn't fall into the trap.

Instead, she just turned and looked at Johanna, both un-amused and unimpressed.

In response, Johanna shrugged in a "it was worth a shot" sort of way.

Katniss rolled her eyes and returned her attention to packing her rucksack. Johanna had a plan, however. She was going to stay here, she was going to annoy her, and she was going to keep on doing so until Katniss finally gave in.

So, she positioned herself a little closer behind Katniss, and placed a finger on her shoulder. She felt the girl's muscles tense a little. Slowly, she traced a route along the fabric of her jumper, towards her neck, patiently awaiting a reaction. She could see Katniss clench her jaw, but to Johanna's curiosity, there was no other movement to make note of. No attempts to brush Johanna hand off, or to move away even though there was nothing keeping her here.

Or maybe there was.

The tip of Johanna's index finger had reached the edge of Katniss' jumper, and leisurely but deliberately, she moved it onto the skin of her neck. Still Katniss remained motionless. Johanna, now a little more tentative, trailed her finger upwards, accidentally finding Katniss' pulse point in the process. Whatever Katniss was thinking right now, her heart sure was beating fast. Was it fear, or was it something else?

It was only then that Johanna realised her own pulse wasn't exactly going at a steady speed either. She frowned. Somewhere along the line, she'd completely lost track of what she was actually trying to do. What had her plan been again?

But she didn't have a chance to feel perplexed for long because then Katniss suddenly span around and wrapped her arms around the older girl, bringing her in for a kiss.

It was pretty similar to their first kiss in that there was nothing gentle about it. Johanna's mind was yelling that this was _not_ what was supposed to be happening, but she couldn't pull herself away. They were both a little out of breath and red in the cheeks when it ended.

"Does that mean I won?" Johanna asked after a pause.

Katniss tilted her head and said with a smile, "No, because now I've won. You spoke first."

"But _you_ kissed _me_," Johanna stated.

"The terms were that we couldn't speak to each other," Katniss countered matter-of-factly.

Johanna crossed her arms. "We never specified that. It's obvious that a _kiss_ wins out on talking."

"Just admit that you lost."

"Never," Johanna said forcefully.

"You're ridiculous, you know that? It's obvious that you lost, and it's also obvious that you like me."

Johanna shrugged. "But you like me too."

"Unfortunately," replied Katniss. It was said teasingly, and Johanna caught herself smiling in response.

"Like you could find anyone better than me," she said with a small grin.

"Is that another challenge?"

"No," Johanna replied hastily. "It's obviously true, so it would be a waste of both your time and my time."

Katniss arched an eyebrow. "Why your time?"

"Because it's time you could be spending with me." The words had come out too quickly for Johanna to stop them, or reword them, and now they were hanging there awkwardly between them. _Damnit_, she thought. _Why doesn't life have an undo button?_

Meanwhile, Katniss' eyes widened a little, but then they settled into an amused look. "You make it sound like you're jealous at the thought of me with someone else."

Johanna snorted in response, reinforcing her walls again. "How?" she asked disparagingly. "It only seems like that to you because that's what you _want_ it to seem like."

"And because it's true," said Katniss.

"Except it's not."

"I find that hard to believe."

Johanna glowered. "Let's get something clear – when I implied that I liked you, what I meant was that I liked kissing you. There's a difference." She punctuated her words sharply. "You, as a person? Well – you kind of get on my nerves."

Katniss couldn't help herself from laughing. "You're a terrible liar," she said.

"Or maybe I'm telling the truth," retorted Johanna crossly.

"If you could just put your pride aside for _one_ second, we could actually have a conversation that wasn't an argument," Katniss sighed. "Look, Johanna – I like you, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't understand why you can't do the same. It's not like it would catch me by surprise."

Johanna didn't like where this was going. She had her reasons for not wanting to open up. She was Johanna Mason, after all, and Johanna Mason didn't _have_ crushes. Johanna Mason didn't _want_ relationships. Johanna Mason knew better.

"I – I can't," she said.

Katniss frowned. "You can't what?" she asked, concerned.

"I _can't_."

Then she broke away, readjusting her bag on her shoulder, and she walked out of the locker room without a goodbye. It seemed to be how so many of their conversations ended.

* * *

"Jeez, Finnick, don't you get tired of all those girls following you around?"

The golden boy was almost constantly surrounded by people. However, they scattered whenever they saw Johanna headed their way.

Finnick shrugged. "Don't you get tired of only having me to talk to, as brilliant as I am?" People always found their friendship bizarre – there was Finnick, who was practically on good terms with everyone, and then there was Johanna.

She nudged Finnick playfully. "You'd be hurt if I left you."

"I would be," Finnick said truthfully.

"Because you think I'm awesome."

"I do."

"And I'm not just here for your pretty face."

This resulted in a frown. "Johanna," Finnick said, sounding confused, "Where exactly are you headed with this?"

"I don't really know," Johanna mused dismissively. "You know I'm more of an 'act first, think later' sort of person."

"Yeah," said Finnick with a nod, "but it's rare you start saying things that make no sense."

"Well, if you're worried that I've lost my mind, I haven't," Johanna assured. "Not yet, anyway," she added jokingly.

Finnick smiled. "That's a relief. I don't want you becoming a mad axe murderer."

"You'd be first on my hit list," Johanna said light-heartedly. "But anyway, are you free tonight? Do you want to go see a film or something?"

"Sure," he said almost immediately. "Homework can wait." Then he paused and thought for a second. "Am I allowed to ask why?"

Johanna had already prepared an evasive reply. "I just need to take my mind off some things for a while. Sit back, relax, and all that."

A look of mild concern crossed Finnick's picture-perfect features. "Is this about that thing you refuse to tell me about? Because you can trust me, Johanna. You know you can."

"Yeah, so I'm trusting you to stop asking me about it." She sounded a little harsher than she had intended to. She did trust Finnick, but honestly, she was embarrassed to tell him the truth. It was why she kept being so defensive about it.

Finnick wasn't perturbed though. "All right," he sighed. He knew better than to push Johanna. "Meet me out front after lessons."

* * *

_AN: I have an ending in mind for this now, so there'll probably only be one more part. Maybe two._


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: A little later than planned, but I got there in the end. This is quite a bit longer than the previous parts so hopefully that makes up for the delay?]_

* * *

Johanna had always found that there was something comforting about the darkness. She had never been scared of it, like so many other people were when they were younger. She liked how it gave you somewhere to hide. Somewhere to be weak without having anybody see. For all her outer harshness, on the inside, Johanna was just as delicate as anyone else was.

She sighed, realising that she'd lost focus on the film yet again. So far, her attempt to lose herself in a movie wasn't going very well. There hadn't been anything particularly interesting showing and in the lobby Johanna had suggested that they just go home again. Finnick, however, had been reluctant to let his efforts of driving them to the cinema through rush-hour traffic go to waste, and he'd insisted that they just see this random comedy.

Now, as she sat there in the dimness of the theatre, Johanna had yet to laugh once. She couldn't focus on the film and all its unrealistic conversations and ridiculous situations. Her mind kept straying to other things – namely, the conversations she'd had with Katniss, and her own current situation. She hadn't expected anything good to come from her attraction towards the younger girl, but neither had she expected things to get _this _bad.

When the credits finally started to roll, Johanna was relieved that she could leave. She was eager to get out into the bright light of the lobby. Then she could stop imagining Katniss in all the shadows.

"That film was kind of terrible," Finnick said as soon as they started making their way down from the seats.

"Kind of?" repeated Johanna.

"Very," Finnick said instead, holding open the door for Johanna. "Very terrible. I want a full refund from you for forcing me to see it."

"If I remember correctly," Johanna mused, "earlier I voted that we go home."

They were back in the main lobby of the cinema now; it was pretty busy seeing as it was a Friday evening. Johanna smiled at the thought of being able to lie in tomorrow morning.

Finnick still hadn't given up his protests. "Can I get a refund for the gas I wasted in getting here, at least?"

Johanna laughed. "If you can be bothered to calculate it, then sure!"

"Hey," Finnick chuckled, "I'm pretty good with numbers when I – hey, is that Peeta?"

Johanna bit back the retort on her tongue and turned to look. She had no idea who Peeta was, but when she found who Finnick was gesturing towards, she faintly recognised him to be a boy from school. The girl standing next to him, however, was much more familiar.

"Katniss," Johanna breathed, unable to believe that this was actually happening. Why was she here? And why the _hell_ was she standing so close to him?

Finnick was too distracted to notice that anything was wrong. "Let's go say hi," he decided aloud. He didn't wait for Johanna to agree before strolling off towards the duo. She set her jaw and steered herself to follow him.

"Oh, hey!" Peeta said as they approached. "Finnick! What're you doing here?"

"Putting off homework," Finnick replied with a grin. The two boys quickly launched into a conversation about who knew what – Johanna tuned out as soon as Katniss' eyes met hers.

"Why're you here?" Johanna asked her quietly. Her gaze flickered towards Peeta.

Katniss bit her lip. "Peeta asked me out."

Immediately, Johanna's stomach lurched. "Oh." She forced herself to stand a little straighter. "He invited you to the cinema? How imaginative." The tone of her voice was callous and malicious.

"Well," Katniss said, "At least he had the guts to ask me at all."

The blow hit closer to home than Johanna cared to admit.

She turned to look at Finnick, who was still animatedly discussing something sport-related with Peeta. She gave him a gentle nudge to remind him that she was still here, and that she wanted to go home.

"Oh, ha, sorry - I haven't introduced you," Finnick said. Johanna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how he had misunderstood her intentions. "Peeta, this is Johanna."

The blond boy smiled at her, albeit a little tightly. "Nice to meet you, Johanna. Uh, this is Katniss." He put one of his arms around Katniss. Johanna decided not to smile back.

"Me and Katniss know each other, actually," she said hotly.

"Oh, really?" said Peeta, eyebrows raised. "That's cool."

"You never told me you managed to make a new friend, Johanna," Finnick joked. He seemed to be aware that the atmosphere was a lot tenser than it should be.

"That would be because we're not really friends," Katniss said, undoing his effort to lighten the mood. "I don't really know how you put up with her."

Finnick laughed even though Katniss hadn't said it humorously. "Oh, well, it takes practice, that's for sure."

"This is all very fun," Johanna growled, "But you two have a film to watch, and I have a bed to go sleep on."

Peeta, who looked a bit overwhelmed, nodded politely. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to miss the start!" he chuckled. "Nice seeing you, Finnick."

"Yeah," Finnick said, nodding his head. "Have fun, you two!"

The two pairs went their separate ways, and as soon as Johanna and Finnick had left the building, he turned and asked Johanna what that had all been about.

"What?" Johanna asked.

"You and Katniss! What was going on there?"

"Nothing," Johanna replied forcefully. "We just walked into each other in the corridor once and we have some unresolved bitterness, that's all."

Finnick looked at her. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you?"

"Finnick, I'm not in the mood for this right now."

"This is the thing, isn't it? The thing that's been bothering you. It's something to do with her."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Congratulations, you can to put two and two together. Maybe you can calculate the gas I owe you after all."

Finnick, however, was lost in thought, trying to put together the rest of the pieces. Johanna resented the fact that the only way she could get home was in Finnick's car because it was much too far to walk from here. She also resented the fact that she hadn't worn a coat this morning.

"Finnick," she objected, "Can you at least contemplate the meaning of life after you unlock your car? It's freezing out here."

Finnick stubbornly shook his head. "Only if you tell me what's going on."

"Oh my god, Finnick, seriously, I-"

"I want you to be happy, Johanna," he interrupted. "The past couple of weeks, you have been acting anything but happy, and I want to be able to help. What's going on between you and Katniss?"

Johanna couldn't believe his nerve. "There's _nothing_ going on, all right? Nothing at all!"

Finnick stared at her, but then he blinked like he'd finally realised something. "That's the problem, isn't it?"

Johanna frowned. "What is?"

Finnick met her gaze. "There's nothing going on. But you want there to be."

* * *

The car journey home was a tense one.

Finnick had sensed that he'd already overstepped the line so he stayed quiet, and Johanna wasn't exactly keen to start a conversation either. It was only once they were pulled up outside Johanna's house that any words were exchanged.

"I know it's none of my business," Finnick began quietly, "but I don't think you should push Katniss away. Give her a chance."

Johanna couldn't stop herself from laughing. "_She_ was the one throwing insults at me at the cinema," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Finnick said, "But I'm about eighty-three per cent sure that that's because _you_ haven't been treating _her_ all that nicely."

"Maybe," Johanna muttered, knowing that that was indeed the case. "But what does it matter? She's off with blond-haired lover boy now." Her voice cracked a little, and she figuratively kicked herself for letting it.

Finnick leaned back into his seat. "They're only on a date - probably a one-off thing. I have them all the time." He said the last sentence with a tone of playful arrogance that made Johanna smile. She seized the chance to change the subject.

"And you don't feel even a _little_ bit guilty? Letting all those girls down?"

Finnick shrugged. "As if any of them are interested in _me_," he sighed. "They just want my good looks – which are quite extraordinary – and the license to boast. One date's more than enough." He shook his head with fake sadness.

"Oh, poor unlucky you," Johanna drawled.

"Exactly. But enough about me," Finnick said. "You know I'm not going to let this go until you at least _try_ to win Katniss back."

"There's no point," Johanna replied sharply.

"Of course there is," Finnick responded. "If you don't try, you're going to be grumpy for the rest of the year, and I don't want to have to put up with that."

"And would you look at that? The conversation circles right back around to you."

Finnick smirked. "I'm just that enthralling. But come on, Johanna. What have you got to lose? What's the worst that could happen?"

Johanna looked down at her feet. "I… she…" She found that she couldn't put the fears circling round her mind into a coherent sentence. Maybe they didn't make sense, maybe they weren't very rational – but they still made her feel sick.

"Just don't give up on her so quickly, all right?" Finnick said. "There's definitely something there. Or you wouldn't have been so wound up about it the past few weeks."

Johanna sighed. "Fine. Am I allowed to get out of the car now?"

Finnick smiled and said, "Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't stormed out already."

She took that as her cue to get out and slam the door emphatically behind her.

* * *

The following night, Johanna was sitting in the dark again, thinking. Trying to make sense of her thoughts. Trying to figure out a plan of action.

Seeing Katniss with Peeta… She'd never felt jealousy that strongly before. Even though she'd thought the two of them looked awkward together, it had hurt. It had confirmed her fears. So easily, Katniss had replaced her with someone else. So easily, she'd been cast aside.

And yes, perhaps it _was_ her fault – for treating Katniss the way she had. She'd had her reasons, though. She tried to tell herself that she didn't regret the way she'd acted, that it would have been worse otherwise.

It was then that she heard her phone vibrating from the bottom of her bag. She sighed – the only person who would call her was Finnick, and he was probably going to keep trying to talk her into doing something she didn't want to do. So she remained motionless, sitting on her bed, waiting for the buzzing noise to stop.

Eventually, it did. But a minute or so later, it started again.

Johanna exhaled with exasperation. Figuring that she wouldn't be left alone until she answered, she leaned over and retrieved her bag, digging around until her fingers found the vibrating phone.

"What is it now?" she snapped into it without bothering to look at who was calling.

"Uh, Johanna?" The voice that answered was certainly not Finnick's.

The bottom of Johanna's stomach disappeared.

"What the hell?" she cried. "How did you get my number?"

"From Finnick," Katniss' voice replied.

"And how the hell did you get _his_ number?" Johanna asked.

"It didn't take long to find a girl who had it."

Johanna swallowed, uncertain what to make of this. "I – why?"

"Because we need to talk, Johanna."

"Couldn't wait until Monday?"

"Well, I considered leaving it until then, but then I figured that you're probably planning to avoid me again."

Johanna hummed. "Yeah, I was. So…"

"Me and Peeta aren't serious," Katniss declared abruptly. "I just didn't have the heart to turn him down."

Despite what Katniss was saying, merely hearing her mention Peeta made Johanna's fist clench a little. She forced herself to remain sounding casual and uninterested. "Um, good for you?"

She heard Katniss sigh. "Are you really going to keep pretending like there's not something going on here?"

"I-"

"I've had enough of you and your evasiveness, all right?" Katniss said irritably. "What is holding you back?"

"I'm scared, okay?" The words plunged them into silence, save for the gentle crackling of the line.

"You're… what?"

"I'm scared." She repeated the phrase in a hiss, filled with blame and bitterness. Maybe if she told Katniss the truth she'd finally leave her alone.

"Scared of what?" Katniss asked eventually.

"Of _this_, brainless. Of what it could lead to." Johanna exhaled and leaned back against her headboard. "It's why I was always so competitive," she continued.

"I don't under-"

"I was trying to prove that I was better than you."

Katniss hesitated. "Don't you think you've proven that already?" she questioned.

"To you, maybe," muttered Johanna. "Not to myself."

"What do you…?"

"I don't deserve you," Johanna said quietly. "I kept trying to convince myself that it was okay for me to want you but I couldn't…because…I…It put you in a position to hurt me."

Johanna swore she could feel her phone grow heavier from the weight of her words. She'd never felt quite so vulnerable. The confessions that had been so reluctant to show themselves around Finnick seemed to be fighting to come out now. It was like she wanted Katniss to know the struggle she was going through thanks to her.

"Johanna, how would I hurt you?" Katniss asked softly.

"You'd leave," Johanna replied resentfully. "You'd realise you _could_ find someone better, that you _deserved_ better, and you'd leave me. For Peeta or whatever. I don't know. But it would happen – so why even bother letting you in at all?"

This was what had been troubling Johanna all along. It was why she'd been so reluctant to let Katniss in, and to admit her feelings. Every step closer that she let the younger girl take, the more clearly she would see that Johanna's harshness was just a protective outer shell. The more exposed her weaknesses would be.

Katniss didn't give up. "Johanna, I already told you, me and Peeta-"

"But what if you realised that, actually, what you and him have is better? What if – what if you gave me hope, and then you changed your mind?" Johanna liked being alone because then there was nobody to let her down, nobody to desert her. She only really trusted Finnick – and even that was partially because she knew that _he_ would be the one more hurt if their friendship came to an end.

"Johanna," Katniss insisted. "Don't you think that if I'd had my doubts about you, I would have long given up? Why would I have come to find you outside the dining hall that day? Why would I be calling you now?"

"Because you're an idiot, brainless."

"No, Johanna. I'm not letting this go to waste because you're too blind to see how much I like you." She clearly punctuated her next words. "I wouldn't leave you."

"Prove it," Johanna snapped defiantly.

"…I can't."

"There you go," Johanna said, triumphant.

"But Johanna," Katniss insisted gently, "I'm asking for you to _believe_ it."

* * *

_AN: I'm probably going to finish it there, so I hope you've enjoyed it! Thanks for all the follows, favourites and nice reviews, they really make me smile. I'll definitely be writing more Joniss in the future – maybe something with more fluff. Thanks for reading :D_


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